The S tate Hornet September 2, 2009 HORNET INSIDE HORNET FOOTBALL
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Sports B5 WHY BUY? RENT YOUR BOOKS
C alifornia S tate U niversity, S acramento
E st . 1949
Gonzalez talks options “Let me begin with the most obvious issue on everyone’s mind: the budget. I wish I could say that the outcome was positive, but all of us know it was not ... The California State University’s share of the State General Fund has hovered at 3 percent over the past decade. It is now at 1.8 percent. I think we all agree that from a public policy standpoint, cuts like that jeopardize the future of our state... I have to say that given the size of the cuts at the system level, as a campus we are in relatively better position this year because we managed our budget and enrollment well and managed to close our past budget gap ... None of this would have been possible without great work and cooperation by UBAC, our Budget Office and every division on campus... However, when I say we are in relatively better shape, I don’t want to paint too rosy a picture. The CSU Trustees were forced increase student fees twice this year. And at this point, the next academic year, 2010-11, is shaping up to be even worse ... The federal stimulus money that was available to the CSU this year will not be there next year... I’m confident that you will join with me in meeting the exigencies that we will face as a result of this terrible budget ... Keep in mind that we will come out of this down cycle and when we do, we will be prepared and ready to move forward...
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Features B1 HORNET EDITORIAL
The State Hornet fee increase was passed by President Gonzalez despite it being voted down by the student body. Read our promise to you, the students.
Opinion A8 TALKIN’ BUDGET CRISIS
Tim Hodson, director of the Center for California Studies sat down for a State Hornet Q&A on the state’s economic crisis.
News A5 HORNET ONLINE
There are many things happening at Sacramento State that we can feel good about. I’m pleased to announce that University Advancement met its fundraising goal for last year by raising nearly $17 million. The Annual Fund did well by providing much-needed nonstate resources to our colleges, but the majority of the resources raised will have a direct impact on students since it is for student scholarships... As we begin our work we need to continue to focus on the three principles that I introduced last year. It is my hope that they will become the basis for all we do at Sac State. They are: Positive Communication, Collaboration, Transparency... Yes, we have some challenges ahead of us, but I think we also have the energy and commitment to face them together... I would like to close by reminding you what an important institution this is, and how vital your work is to its mission. More than 28,000 students come here to pursue a higher education, to improve their lives, and to achieve their dreams...
The State Hornet Issue 1 | Volume 64| No. 1
By Kristine Guerra kguerra@statehornet.com Sacramento State President Alexander Gonzalez discussed issues such as the budget and Sac State’s achievements in past months, in his annual fall address Thursday. Gonzalez said the university is in a relatively better position then before, but also recognized the challenges to overcome. “However, when I say we are in relatively better shape, I don’t want to paint too rosy a picture… I don’t have to say that these are trying economic times,” Gonzalez said. “While difficult, we will meet our goals and still provide the best educational experience we can for our students.” Other than the budget crisis, Gonzalez’s 30-minute address dwelt mainly on what has been achieved over the past several months. Cecil Canton, professor of criminal justice and associate vice president for the California Faculty Association, said the president should have focused more on the real issues. “I think it’s wonderful to be upbeat, but there are real attacks on higher education in the nation and in the state,” Canton said. “There are fewer professors working at Sac State, and students are paying more for fewer services.” Members of the CFA wore black armbands to the address. “The black represents the demise of public education,” said Kevin Wehr, sociology professor and director of CFA’s Sac State chapter. “This is the see Address | page A10
Let us all commit to building a better future for Sacramento State, for our city, and for our region Nallelie Vega State Hornet
President Gonzalez Thursday at his Fall address where he discussed creating more campus transparency and unity
See the video of the Fall Address at www.statehornet.com
Student fees up by 32 percent By Cayla Gales cgayles@statehornet.com
Last May, the California State University Board of Trustees voted to increase the CSU fee by 10 percent. Then on July 21, the board voted to raise the new fee by another 20 percent, making a total of a 32 percent fee increase for all the schools in the CSU system from the previous year. The trustees voted 17-1 to increase fees in order to deal with the $584 million state budget cut to the CSU system.
Increasing fees was not the only part of the solution. The plan also included furloughs, reduction of enrollment by 40,000 students over the next two years and the closing of spring 2010
See the Student Reaction video at www.statehornet. com
admissions. Even after taking all of these steps to offset the deficit, the CSU system still needs to cut $183 million from its budget. John Kepley, special assistant to the president at Sacramento State, said “nobody likes raising student fees.” But in order for the CSU system to continue providing services, the trustees “had to look at all options” and there was no single solution to this see CSU Fees | page A6
MEMORIAL | LILA JACOBS, CFA CHAPTER PRESIDENT AND PROFESSOR OF EDUCATION
CFA, Sac State honors Jacobs By Miyu Kataoka mkataoka@statehornet.com
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O ne C opy F ree
She was not a hippie, but she loved peace, and she made sure to stand up for it. Activism for justice and fairness were a part of both the personal and professional life of Lila Jacobs, professor of educational leadership and president of the Sacramento State chapter of the California Faculty Association. Jacobs, who died of cancer on June 27, had been teaching at
Sac State since 1990. “She really was a tireless worker and you could always count on her to get things done and make sure that everything was followed through on,” said Kevin Wehr, professor of sociology and CFA chapter president who served under Jacobs. “She was dedicated to her students and making a difference through her students and through her community.” Jacobs founded the Urban see Jacobs | page A6
Lila Jacobs
Megan Harris State Hornet
Spring vote overruled By Blazej Bruzda bbruzda@statehornet.com Over the summer, Sacramento State President Alexander Gonzalez implemented two of three ballot measures voted down by students in the spring election. One measure applied to Sac State’s athletics program and the other involved The State Hornet, the university’s student-run newspaper. Gonzalez overruled the Associated Students, Inc.’s fee increase proposals Measure One, for Intercollegiate Athletics and Measure Five, for the Hor-
net, despite 14 percent of the student population’s decision to vote them down in April’s ASI elections. Regardless of April’s negative vote outcome for the Hornet and Intercollegiate Athletics fee increases, Gonzalez approved measures five and one, and said the decision was made based on two reasons. The last fee increase that went toward Intercollegiate Athletics was in 1995. Scholarships for student-athletes, picked at the discretion of the coach for varisee ASI Fees | page A7